Applicator comb



Aug. 14, 1956 M. G. UsAl 2,758,695

APPLICATOR coMB Filed Aug. 2e, 1954 IN V EN TOR.

` I E MHP/0 6. Usn/ 1 www. UM

Arron/EY nted States Parent O APPLICATOR COMB Mario G. Usai, East Paterson, N. J.

Application August 26, 1954, Serial No. 452,360

'10 Claims. (Cl. 132-4110) This invention relates to a device for applying creams, dyes, pomades and the like to the hair, and for cleaning the hair during the combing.

There are presently available devices of a comb-like nature for applying liquids and creams to the hair. Such devices have, in the main, however, been rather complicated, ditlicult to clean, and expensive to manufacture. Further, the available devices do not distribute the hairtreating material uniformly over the mass of hair on the head, nor do they insure the complete coverage of each hair by the material after only a few passages of the device through or over the hair, since they tend to coat only the outwardly presented surface of each hair.

The applicator device of my invention, which is particularly advantageous in the application of semi-solid material such as creams to the hair, is particularly characterized by its simplicity, the ease of its assembly and disassembly for cleaning purposes, the uniformity of distribution of the hair-treating material throughout the hair, and the thoroughness of coverage of each hair with the material after only a few strokes of the device through the hair. Further, the device provides for the ready substitution of different types of hair engaging members, such as rollers, whereby the device may quickly and easily be converted from an applicator to a hair cleaning device, and vice versa.

The invention has among its objects the provision of an improved applicator comb for treating hair, which uniformly distributes a controlled quantity of treating material throughout the hair.

A. further object of the invention is the provision of an applicator comb of the indicated type having an applicator roll wherein the roll is so constructed as to insure the complete coverage of each hair by the treating rnaterial after a relatively few passes of the comb through the hair.

Other objects of the invention are to provide an applicator device which is simple and rugged in construction, which may readily be assembled and disassembled, and in which one hair engaging roll may easily be substituted for another so as readily to change the controlled rate of dispensing of the treating material or to change the device from an applicator to a hair cleaning device.

I he above and further objects of the invention relating to economies of manufacture and use of the device will become more readily apparent in the following description of the illustrated, presently preferred embodiment thereof.

My invention is clearly` defined in the appended claims. Where parts are, for clarity and convenience, referred to on the basis of their oriented position shown in the accompanying drawing, no limitation as to positioning of the entire structure is to be implied, since it will be understood that the entire structure may be inverted or that it may be used in any inclined position. Also in both the description and the` claims, parts at times may be identified by specific names for clarity and convenience, but such nomenclature is to be understood as having the broadest meaning consistent with the context and with the concept of my invention as distinguished from the pertinent prior art. The best form in which I have contemplated applying my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, in which:

Fig. l is a view in perspective of the applicator comb of the invention, a hair treating material-containing collapsible tube mounted thereon being indicated in dot and dash lines.

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the applicator comb proper.

Fig. 3 is a view in vertical section through the applicator comb proper, the section being taken along a vertical central plane transverse to the length of the comb.

Fig. 4 is a view in horizontal section through the applicator comb, the section being taken along the line 4 4 in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of an alternative, haircleaning, roll which may be substituted in the device of the invention for the applicator roll shown in Figs. l-4, inclusive.

The applicator 10 shown is made up of two main parts, a comb-carrying bottom part 12 and an upper portion 14 having its bottom end telescoped into the upper end of part 12, as shown in Fig. 3. Parts 12 and 14 may advantageously be molded of plastic material although they may be made of other suitable materials such as metal. Such two parts, when tted together, form a hollow boxlike structure adapted to receive hair-treating material such as cream and to feed it to the applicator roll 16. The upper portion 14 is retained in assembled position (Figs. l and 3) on the lower portion 12 by rounded projections 18 and 20, on the inner surfaces of the end and side walls, respectively, of portion 12 which snap into the rounded depressions 22 and 24, respectively, on the end and side walls of portion 14 when the latter is fully telescoped into part 12.

Projecting horizontally outwardly from the bottom edge of the forward side wall 26 of part 12 is a comb 28, the bottom of which is substantially tlush with the bottom edge of such side wall. Such bottom edge is provided with shallow grooves 30 which extend in the same direction as the grooves 32 between the teeth of the comb. In the comb shown, grooves 30 are aligned with alternate grooves 32, an arrangement which appears to encourage the random separation of the strands of hair as they leave grooves 32 and approach the applicator roll 16. It will be understood, however, that, if desired, grooves 30 may be the same in number as grooves 32 andbe aligned with them.

The horizontal applicator roll 16, located within the closure formed by parts 12 and 14, is mounted, in the fully assembled device, so that a shallow segment at the bottom thereof protrudes through the opening 48 at the bottom of part 12, and lies below the bottom part 12, whereby the strands of hair leaving the grooves 30, when the device is passed over the head in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3 and the roll 16 is pressed rmly down against the hair, are in intimate contact with the peripheral surface of the roll. The roll 16, in the illustrated device, is journalled on the depending portions 34 of the end walls of portion 14. A pintle pin 36, which extends axially through and is freely slidable in roll 16, has its end portions positioned in holes 38 in portions 34 and its end surfaces substantially flush with the outer side surfaces of parts 34 when the pin is centered in the roll.

The pin is locked in such roll retaining position, when part 14 is telescoped into pant 12, by the substantial abutment of the end surfaces of the pin against the inner surfaces of the end walls of part 12. When it is desired to disassemble the roll 16 from the device,

'sam'e or 'a replacement 'rgollrnayube assembled in part 14 by the reverse of Atlie 'above operations, or it be snapped upwardly into holes 38 through slots 39 in parts 33t.

The applicator ldevice is supplied with treating material, such as cream, from a reservoir such as a col- )lapsible`- tube, f10 r x 1ounted Y ininvert'ed position on top of part 14. As shown, part 14 is provided with a heavy .19M/al1 tllharineatlirsatsd..arguing 44 therein, the neel; tovoflthe collapsible tubel being threadedly received in opeinng 44. Tlielspace within the device 10 above the ,rollH16 is liilled with semi-solid, hair-treating material by squeezingthe tube 40 to Ysubject the material therein and in the cavity in the applicator comb body to pressure to Vc :ause tlienmaterial to ow downwardly into Such cayityanclV onto the nroll 16. The material vhas sufficient viscosity so that it -does not flow appreciably, if at all, underthe effect of gravity alone. Thus the hair-treating materiaiwill not leak or drip from the device during normal storage of the applicator in either a vertical or a horizontal position. p

, To insure the dispensing of the treating material in 4the desired amount and at the desired locations from the applicator, 4there isprovided means to meter the ow `of the material ontol the roll 16. Roll 16 is 'made of such length that its ends lie close to the 'ends of the opening 48 through which a portion vof the roll protrudes at the bottom of the part 12 of the applicator. Thus, even when the hair treating material in the device above the rollis subjected to appreciable-pressure, as by the squeezing of tube 40, an insignicant'amountgof hairJtreating Amaterial will escape along the ends of the roll when it is .either at rest or being rotated during use.

The rate at which such material is fed to roll '16, and consequently thethickness of the film 'of'm'aterialrpresent on theroll during its rotation while 'being traversed over the hair,"are limited and'co'ntrolled by thedoctor blade-like lower Aside members 50 and 52 `onpart 14 'of the'device These members, which lare integral with the reminderbf partl14, "rtiaybe'ft'apered in thickness ina downwaidhirection, s`o 4that'thelo`wer'edges thereof are quite tliin'and nexible The members I50 'and 52 are "flexed vinwardly by the downwardlyand `inwardly curved thickened lower 'edges"'54'and56, respectively, on the "side 'walls26 and V58 -of tl'ie lower part 12 of the applicator. vWhenpants 12 `and 14 are assembled in operative position, as shown in Fig. 3, `the lower edgesof'theimembers 50 and 52'ar'e thiisbrought close f tol the periphery' of roll 16. In some instancesttheedges bf members SOHa'nd SZmay lightly contact theperiphery of the roll, to provide "a verythin coatirig'of material thereon,` and thus "a slow rate of feedof 'material' thereto.

This condition may be desirable vwi'th`l`sort1e'hair-treating materials,- particularly 'when the vroll "16 'shown' in Vdetail in Fig. `3 and to ybe described'hereinafter, is employed. For other hair-treating materials, arid'with other types of applicator r'oll, it 'may be desired tohave the lower edges or the memberssoand s2 slighny spaced from the' periphery` 'of the roll. This can 'be laceomplis'hedby making such other applicatornrolljwhich is'to be' su'bstituted for roll 16, of slightly "smaller diameter than m111 16. y t

p The rollIG` is provided (Fig.' 4) a first shallow iieiieaifgrve "60 maimed 'inv me luireerieu'awan a "secondsimilar shallow helical'groove '62 linclined inl the opposite' 'direction so 'thatit periodically crosses' 'the first 4 are exposed to contact with the hair at the bottom of the part 12, even 'though doctor blade members 50 and 52 Contact the periphery of roll 16. Thus a uniform quantity of material will be on the exposed area of the roll, assuming the material in the applicator cavity is subjected to enough pressure to cause the material to feed downwardly to the roll. g

The grooves have the further important function of distributing the haii-treating material substantially uniformly over the entire surface of ,each hair strand with but a few passes of the coinb of the device through the hair. As the comb 28 of the device is passed through the hair, with the device held so ithat the bottom of roll 16 lies on top of the `hair on the head, the strands of hair in each groove 32 of the comb are led to the roll along grooves 30. Some of the thus gathered hair strands will enter groove 60, and will tend to follow such groove and be turned by it in a rst direction about the longitudinal axis of the hair strand as the device 10 is traversed over the head. Others of the hair strands will enter groove 62,4and will tend to follow such latter groove and be turned by it in a second, reverse direc- `tion about its longitudinal axis. vOne pass of the device 10 along one 4zone of the hair will suce substantially tocoat all the surface 'of each hair in such zone, and a few repeated passes along the same zone, in which at least some of thehair strands will be differently gathered and willjenter a different one of grooves 60 and 62 each time, will suice to coat the entire surface of each hair strandffrom its root toits tip.

For some coating operations it may be desired to use a plain, ungrooved circular cylindrical applicator roll, although this'ingeneral requires a larger number of passes of the device `over the hair to insure the substantially complete coating of eachhair.

The Adevice lof the invention is also useful Yfor cleaning the hair, vas in `preparation for its being coated with hair-treating material. For such hair cleaning process,

vit is preferred `that the ltube 40 `be removed, the cavity `indevice 10 becleane'd out, and applicator roll 16 be removed and replaced by the'cleaning roll 16 (Fig. 5). This roll may be made of felted fibers, and be fairly soft and open structured withshort fibers projecting therefrom, although self-sustaining. It is preferred that roll '16 be made of'such'diameter that the outer ends of its 'Iperipherally Aexposed bers Jjust clear the lower edges of members 50 and 52. As the device withroll 16 installedltlierei'n is ru'nv over'the hair, the soft, open structu'red roll `16 is pressed a'gainstthe hair and tends to re'n'iove dust, dirt, and dandruff therefrom. After such use of thedevic'e, tlieroll 16 may be removed and 1brushedor washed to relieve it of the foreign material it has removed from the hair.

Iclaim:

l. A device for applying amaterial to hair, compris- 'ing `aibody'having 'alm'aterial receiving cavity therein,

an 'applicator-roll journalled on the body so that the peripheral surface" of the 'r'oll is alternately exposed at the bottom of 'the body` and positioned within the cavity as the roll rotates, `arida comb protruding from a bottom Iedge of thebodyiforr aligning strands lof hair and leading them: to the'periphery of'the roll as the comb is traversed through 'the hair.

2. A device 'forapplying a material to hair, comprising a body having a material receiving cavity therein, an

applicator roll journalled' on'the'body so" that the peripheal`su`rface of the roll is alternatelyexposed at `the bottom of the`b'ody and1 positioned within the cavity`as the i'oll "rctates,l a' crnbprotrudinglfrom a bottom edge of the Ibody'for"alig'n'irig strandsof hairand leading them to theperipheryof'the rollas the comb is traversed through the hair," andadoc'tor bladef'substantially engaging the periphery of the roll4 adjacent the location at which `poiiitson such periphery leave thecavity during normal rotation `of the roll.

3. A device for applying a semi-solid material to hair, comprising a body having a material receiving cavity therein, an opening in the bottom of the body, an applicator roll journalled in the body near the bottom of the body so that points on the peripheral surface of the roll alternately extend beyond the bottom of the body through said opening and are positioned within the cavity as the roll rotates, the roll interftting fairly snugly with the opening, means for subjecting the material in the cavity to pressure to cause it to be deposited on the periphery of the roll internally of the cavity, and a comb protruding from the forward bottom edge of the body for aligning strands of hair and leading them to the periphery of the roll as the comb is traversed through the hair.

4. A device for applying a semi-solid material to hair, comprising a body having a material receiving cavity therein, the body being formed of an upper and a lower part telescoped together, an opening in the bottom of the lower part, an applicator roll journalled in the body near the bottom thereof so that points on the peripheral surface of the roll alternately extend beyond the bottom of the body through said opening and are positioned within the cavity as the roll rotates, the roll interfitting fairly snugly with the opening, and means for mounting the neck of a collapsible tube of material on the body whereby the cavity may be filled with material and such material subjected to pressure.

5. In the device set out in claim 4, the lower end of the upper part of the body lying within the lower part of the body, means selectively locking the two parts of the body in fully telescoped assembled position relative to each other, and means journalling the roll between the opposite lower ends of the upper part of the body,

6. In the device set out in claim 5, the means journaling the roll comprising a pintle pin freely slidable through the roll and having its opposite ends received in holes in the opposite end walls of the upper part of the body, the opposite end surfaces of the pin at least substantially abutting the inner surafces of the opposite end walls of the lower part of the body.

7. A device for applying a cream-like material to hair, comprising a body having a material receiving cavity therein, the body being formed of an upper and a lower part, both formed of molded plastic material and telescoped together with the lower end of the upper part lying within the lower part, an opening in the bottom of the lower part, an applicator roll journalled in the body near the bottom thereof so that points on the peripheral surface of the roll alternately extend beyond the bottom of the body through said opening and are positioned within the cavity as the roll rotates, the roll interfitting fairly snugly with the opening, the roll having shallow crossing helical grooves of opposite hand on its periphery, doctor blades on the lower forward and rear side edges of the upper part, means on the lower part adjacent the side edges of the opening in the bottom of the body urging the blades inwardly toward the periphery of the roll whereby substantially to engage it, means to subject material in the cavity to pressure, and a comb integral with the lower part of the body and protruding from the bottom edge thereof for aligning strands of hair and leading them to the periphery of the roll as the comb is traversed through the hair.

8. A hair treating device comprising a body, a roll journalled on the body so that the peripheral surface of the roll is alternately exposed at the bottom of the body and positioned within the body as the roll rotates, and a comb protruding from a bottom edge of the body for aligning strands of hair and leading them to the periphery of the roll as the comb is traversed through the hair.

9. A device for applying a material to hair, comprising a body having a material receiving cavity therein, an applicator roll journalled on the body so that the peripheral surface of the roll is alternately exposed at the bottom of the body and positioned within the cavity as the roll rotates, the roll having crossing helical grooves of opposite hand on its periphery, and a comb protruding from a bottom edge of the body for aligning strands and leading them to the periphery of the roll as the comb is traversed through the hair.

10. A device for applying a semi-solid material to hair, comprising a body having a material receiving cavity therein, an opening in the bottom of the body, an applicator roll journalled in the body near the bottom of the body so that points on the peripheral surface of the roll alternately extend beyond the bottom of the body through said opening and are positioned within the cavity as the roll rotates, the roll intertting fairly snugly with the opening, doctor blades positioned in the cavity and urged inwardly toward the periphery of the roll and substantially engaging it, means for subjecting the material in the cavity to pressure to cause it to be deposited on the periphery of the roll internally of the cavity, and a comb protruding from the forward bottom edge of the body for aligning strands of hair and leading them to the periphery of the roll as the comb is traversed through the hair.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,667,631 Mach Apr. 24, 1928 1,770,943 Newton July 22, 1930 2,463,611 Green et al Mar. 8, 1949 2,660,182 Kaul NOV. 24, 1953 

